At present, there are a growing number of fields for mixed and virtual reality headsets that allow a user to visualize holographic or augmented images that are combined with the real-world physical environment to create a mixed reality environment. These fields include, for example, scientific visualization, medicine and military training, engineering design and prototyping, tele-manipulation and tele-presence, and personal entertainment systems.
There are also many applications for virtual reality (“VR”) systems that allow a user to visualize computer generated holographic images in a virtual environment. Unlike mixed reality systems, in VR systems, VR headsets usually have opaque displays where computer-generated images, objects, or virtual scenes are displayed on the opaque displays while concurrently not allowing visualization of the outside real-world physical environment.
Conversely, mixed reality systems (also known as augmented reality “AR” systems) usually have transparent displays that allow visualization of the outside real-world physical environment while concurrently displaying computer-generated holographic images, e.g. augmented images. In other words, a mixed reality headset includes a transparent display that allows a user to see through the transparent display to the outside real-world physical environment while simultaneously seeing computer-generated holographic on the transparent display, which are combined with the real-world physical environment to form a combined visual environment, e.g. augmented images, in the field of view of the user. The combined visual environment includes both the real-world physical environment and the holographic or augmented images. An example of a mixed reality headset is a Near-Eye-Display (“NED”) system that superimposes computer-generated images (“CG images”) over a user's view of a real-world environment.